A night to remember
by Winter's angel
Summary: After a sweet year with Quistis, Squall has to leave for a year-long mission in Esthar...a different Quall story, comments please!


Last Waltz

A night to remember

By Silver Dolphin

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Don't own 'em, so don't sue!

Quistis stared at the dress hanging in her closet. It was a beautiful dress, silver-blue in color, and it looped around her neck so that her shoulders were exposed to the greatest advantage. The short skirt reached to mid-thigh, and she knew that when she put it on it would highlight her hair and bring out her eyes.

It was a beautiful dress. She just didn't want to wear it.

She curled up on her bed in her bra and panties, burying her face in her pillow. _Dear Hyne, did this day have to come so soon? _ Balamb Garden was having a political ball tonight, which aristocrats from all over the world would be attending. But to Quistis, this ball was nothing short of a farewell party.

__

Tomorrow Squall leaves for Esthar. Damn all those people who're causing all the trouble up there. __ There was something fishy going on in Esthar, so top secret that Cid refused to tell her. And it had to be pretty important. Otherwise why would Cid choose Squall to settle it? With Squall gone, she would be stand-in as SeeD commander, a privilege she would rather not have under the circumstances.

__

So I'm to be released from my teaching duties. Why doesn't Cid just send me with Squall _then? _ Squall would be in Esthar, quietly infiltrating and observing, and sending information back. And it wasn't as if this mission would last for a few days, weeks, or even months. No, it was likely to take a whole year, or more.

As she lay there on the bed, a knock sounded on her door.

"Quistis_?" Oh, great. Squall's here, and I'm not even dressed yet. _ Scrambling out of bed, she reached for the dress and quickly slipped it on.

She opened the door and let him in. "Hi." 

Squall smiled faintly at her as he took a seat on her bed. "Ready to go?"

"Almost." She swept a hairbrush through her loose flowing blond hair, then zipped up the back of her dress. 

"All done." She caught Squall's eyes in the mirror and smiled at him. _I'm going to be happy tonight. It's his last night here after all, and I don't want him to remember me as all weepy and silly. _

"You look beautiful," he said as he stood up. She came to stand in front of him.

"Thank you. You're not so bad, yourself." 

Squall bent down and kissed her forehead tenderly. There was something different about him, the way he looked at her, spoke to her, and the way he'd just kissed her. He was surprisingly gentle and tender tonight.

Strange, that the usually cold and unfeeling commander was being so…human. She never would have believed he was capable of doing so.

"Squall?" She looked into his mysterious eyes, and tried very hard to control her tears. Silently she prayed to Hyne to give her strength.

"Let's go. We're going to be late." At least his voice was still as unemotional as before. In silence they made their way to the party.

Quistis was definitely not having a good time at the ball. If she heard one more person ask if "this pretty little thing" was his girlfriend, she would positively lose it.

But the worst thing was that some of the aristocrats insisted on comparing her with Rinoa. _Here we go again…_

"Ah, Commander Leonhart." 

Quistis kept her temper in check. She forced a smile at…he was a mayor, she thought. As if that mattered. Squall nodded coolly at the man.

"And this lady, is she your love interest? You have very good taste, Commander."

"Yes, thank you." Squall eyes were stony, as was his voice.

The Mayor's gaze became speculative. "Ah, but where is that other lady? The beautiful one with the dark hair and a charming smile?"

Quistis stiffened slightly.

"Rinoa is in Deling. Unfortunately she was unable to attend this party." Squall replied blandly. He could sense how tense his partner was. "Excuse us, Mayor, we've got some important business to attend to." 

They went out to the balconies. The last time they'd been here together, it'd been a strained encounter. Squall wanting to be alone, and Quistis trying to tell him that she'd been demoted. 

Quistis leaned against the wall, staring out at the darkness, but not seeing anything. Squall stood quietly behind her. The silence grew until it became deafening.

"You're leaving tomorrow." She broke the still silence between them, for want of anything better to say.

"Mm." 

The wind blew, chilling her soft skin. Squall stepped up to her and put his arms around her waist.

He whispered softly into her ear. "Dance with me?"

A little laugh escaped her. "Can you? I still remember your graduation night, you know."

"Just because I didn't want to, doesn't mean I can't." 

"Didn't want to?" he could hear the puzzlement in her voice.

"I was in a bad mood then. Didn't want to dance with some pretty bimbo."

Quistis turned around, making an effort to smile. "Sure, why not?"

Quistis allowed him to lead her to the dance floor and stepped into his arms. The waltz began, and he moved gracefully, synchronizing easily with her steps.

Dear Hyne, he was a good dancer. 

Soon she was lost in the rhythm of the waltz, as he twirled her expertly, his hand clasping her own in a warm, firm grip. 

Then the music softened and faded away. Squall pulled her into his warm embrace and held her close, so that she could feel his heart beating in unison with her own. Gently he kissed her neck, as she slipped her arms round his waist. 

The tears were threatening to spill over again. "I'm sorry, Squall…excuse me for a moment?" she whispered huskily. His eyes searched hers for a brief while, then nodded and stepped away. 

"Commander Leonhart!" A voice called, and Squall turned to acknowledge it. Quistis quickly took the chance to escape from the party out the big double doors.

Where could she go? Her mind was a blur of thoughts as she walked. She only knew she had to get away as far as possible, before Squall saw her in this state.

__

Damn. I swore I wouldn't be like this. Inwardly she cursed her weakness_. Damn you for being so soft. _

She came to a stop in front of one of the music rooms. It'd been years since she'd stepped into one. After she'd become an instructor, her busy schedule had left no room to continue her music studies.

__

Do I still remember how to play? She wondered as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. Hell, piano or no, at least this room was far away from the ballroom. At least it provided sanctuary.

She uncovered the dusty piano and began to play, cautiously trying out one of the pieces from memory. Yes, she still remembered. Playing the piano was like swimming or cycling: once you mastered it, you never forgot.

Unconsciously, though, the sweet melody changed into something darker, and the tune switched to one about a storm at sea. The melody was dark and angry, rising and falling like the waves themselves. So engrossed she was that she never noticed another figure slipping into the dark room, till the door closed with a sharp click.

Her fingers struck a wrong chord and she abruptly stopped playing, so that the sound reverberated and died away. The person came to sit by her, and she recognized the familiar presence. Squall. How the hell had he found her?

"Play on."

"What?" she flexed her fingers uncertainly.

"Continue if you want. I'll listen. It's a beautiful piece." Squall was sitting close to her, but not close enough to hinder her playing. She picked up where she had left off, letting the music wash over them both, letting all her sadness ebb away. 

Storm over, the sea calmed. The melody became gentler, softer, and she stopped playing altogether. "I don't feel like playing anymore."

"All right. Want to retire now?"

"Is it polite to?"

"Yeah. We're free to go if we want."

"Your room, or mine?"

"Mine? It's more spacious."

"Okay." Ever since Squall's position had been confirmed, he'd been given larger quarters for himself. It was one of the privileges of being SeeD Commander.

Her hand stole into his, and he took it in his firm clasp. Quietly they made their way to his room together.

__

It's not as if you're not going to see him ever again, Quistis scolded herself mentally, as she listened to the sounds of the shower running in the adjacent bathroom. _Stop acting as if it's the end of the world! _

She lay facedown on the double bed, her face buried in her arms. _I only need to hide for one more night. When he's gone, I can cry all I want. Just for tonight…be strong. _

The water stopped running, and Squall came out dressed in a singlet and boxers, wiping his dripping hair dry. He stood still for a moment, regarding the prone figure lying on the bed, then came forward to sit next to her.

"Hey." His warm hand cupped the back of her neck, fingers playing over her skin gently. Quistis rolled over and smiled up at him, motioning for him to lie down too. He discarded his towel on the floor and stretched out next to her, taking her into his arms without haste.

His lips were gentle against hers, with none of the feral hunger he'd so often displayed.

"What's the matter?" he asked softly, mouth against her hair. "You've been unhappy all night."

"I'm just being silly. Don't mind me. You tired?"

He didn't answer her. "It's because I'm leaving tomorrow, isn't it?"

It was her turn to keep silent. She clung tighter to him. He looked down into her eyes, a soft, gentle look in his blue gray ones.

"Make love to me…Squall…"

His arms tightened around her. "I'll make it a night to remember. I promise."

Slowly, gently, moving with infinite care, his hands began to divest her of her clothes, and there she lay before him, in all her natural beauty. Quickly he stripped off his own clothes, adding them to the pile on the floor, and then he returned to her side once again.

Close as they had been for over a year now, they had never done this before. But Squall seemed to know what to do…what would please her most.

There was the pain, of course, when he first entered her, but incredible pleasure came in an explosion afterwards washing over them as their two worlds became one, carrying them off into a world reserved only for intimate lovers…

The bedside candles had long since burned out, giving way to the pale moonlight shining in from the window, filling the room with a pale, silvery luminescence. Both Squall and Quistis never noticed that, the only thing they were aware of was the sound of each other's beating hearts.

Making sure that Squall was really asleep, Quistis disentangled herself from his embrace and got out of bed. It was very late, or rather, very early in the morning. She padded on silent feet to the window, and stared out into the dark foliage outside of Balamb Garden. Staring blindly, her mind dead.

Behind her, Squall shifted in the large bed, then, as he missed her soft body next to his, his eyes opened in the moon-drenched room. He got out of bed to join his lover by the window.

Wordlessly Quistis turned to move into his arms. She trembled slightly, and the dam holding her tears broke – they flowed freely, and she shut her eyes tightly. Nevertheless, they continued to trickle out of the corners of her eyes.

Squall held her quietly, his right hand stroking her hair with soft, comforting movements.

"I swore I wouldn't do this," she gasped out from between clenched teeth.

"It's alright," he said quietly. "I kind of feel the same way, myself."

With great effort she stopped her crying. "Endearing words, my Lionheart?" She made an attempt to shake off the melancholy feeling. "Usually I have to drag them out of you."

For an answer Squall picked her up in his arms and carried her back to bed. Then he softly kissed her mouth. One kiss became several, and the rest of the night passed without any further weeping.

__

The morning after…

"The Ragnarok is ready, Squall. Are you ready to go?" Cid asked, as they stood at the Front Gate of Balamb Garden.

"Almost, Sir. May I see Quistis before I leave?"

"Sure, I understand. It was the same when I had to leave Edea. Take care now, and make sure those reports come back as scheduled."

Squall nodded, and Cid left after a friendly pat on his shoulder.

After what seemed like an eternity, Quistis hurried to the gate, dressed in the Balamb uniform he was so accustomed to seeing when he had been her student.

"Be careful, Squall," she said. She held out her arms mutely, and he stepped up to embrace her one last time. 

"Oh, I nearly forgot." She reached up around her neck to remove a necklace. It was of dark, tarnished silver, and bore a heavy silver pendant. Etched on the pendant was a faded "Q". He recognized it instantly. How many times had he seen it, clasped around her neck?

"Here." She placed it into his outstretched hand and closed his fist. "I've had it since birth. Keep it safe, all right? I want it back."

He nodded and held her tight. His kiss was fierce.

"I love you," he said it so softly; it might have just been the breeze blowing past her ear.

"I know. I love you too." She smiled at him, although her voice was near tears. "Go quickly. I don't want you to see me crying."

She never waited to see him board the Ragnarok. Instead she turned and fled back into Garden, the tears finally released and streaming down her cheeks.

-Owari-

Author's note: Well, I was sick of writing fics on how they got together, so I thought I'd try another perspective. Comments, ok?


End file.
